Honda is launching a new driver-assistance system called Honda Sensing, which will become available on the upcoming Legend by the end of this year. The caveat is that it will only be available in Japan – at least for now.
The main purpose of this system isn’t all too complicated – Honda designed it specifically to prevent vehicle accidents and collisions, thereby improving road safety in general. The Sensing system is made up of two types of sensors, both of which have their own special qualities. One is a millimeter-wave radar inside the front grille of the car, and the other is a monocular camera that sits on the upper within the windshield.
Thanks to these sensors, the system can perform six different functions: Collision Mitigating Braking, Road Departure Mitigation, Pedestrian Collision Mitigation Steering, Lane Keeping Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, Traffic Sign Recognition, False Start Prevention and a Lead Car Departure Notification System.
According to Honda, the most prominent abilities include recognizing the car’s surroundings, driver’s intentions and conditions of the vehicle itself. It then uses these abilities to help drivers avoid potential accidents.
For example, if a driver approaches a pedestrian, the system will gently apply brakes as a warning. If the driver does not come to a complete stop in order to prevent a potential accident, the system will brake hard, while providing audiovisual warnings. The system can also control the steering to help drivers veer away from pedestrians before hitting them. The Road Departure Mitigation functionality helps the driver stay in the lane by steering the car back into it. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The occurrence of this system feels almost as if it was meant to ease people into the world of autonomous driving – to test the waters, so to speak. “I think there’s the trust issue – trust in the system and how much they can rely on it,” said Jim Keller, senior manager at Honda R&D Americas.
Keller also predicted that, just like the rest of the automakers out there, Honda will probably introduce fully-autonomous cars in 2020.
